Leonardo Boutique Hotel Rehovot

It's pretty sad to see a hotel located in the middle of nowhere. Well, not nowhere exactly, but nowhere that a regular tourist would ever go. As the Leonardo's website admits; "Known as the City of Science and Culture, Rehovot is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to make it the perfect choice for anyone who needs to reach either city. From the international airport Ben Gurion (TLV), the Rehovot hotel is only half an hour drive away. The cities Ashdod, Beit Shemesh, Modiin, Ramle, Yavne and Gedera are also nearby." Know any other hotels that are advertised as being close to eight cities?
Nonetheless, for scientists, lecturers, and people interested in the Minkov Citrus Orchard Museum, this hotel has a great location. The "five- star" (along with every other hotel in the country apparently) hotel is rightfully geared towards business travelers and offers 120 rooms. The hotel advertises free wifi, but it does say that Superior guestrooms offer wifi for a fee. All rooms feature a quote "monsoon shower", not a rainfall but a monsoon. Interesting...
The hotel's best feature is the price. Checking in on a random day in February, we found rates for just $126 per night, including breakfast. For that price it's worth going to Rehovot! The hotel is expected to open in December.

Isrotel Kiryat Anavim

This hotel is under construction in Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim in the Judean Hills. This hotel, according to Isrotel, "will be the last word in hotel design". There is very little information on the resort, but we do know that it will have a spa, and will appeal to "tourists and Israelis alike". And yes, you guessed it: This hotel will be a member of the Isrotel Exclusive Collection. The hotel is located about 25 minutes outside of Jerusalem, near Maale Hachamisha. Our verdict? A luxury resort, just outside of Jerusalem? Sounds great. Rates will probably be comparable with luxury Jerusalem hotels, like Mamilla and the Inbal. There is no opening date, but judging by the picture, it looks well underway.

Isrotel Princess Resort

Remember the old, dated Princess Hotel in Eilat? The one that, twenty years ago, was the hotel to stay at in Eilat? Today, it's mostly inhabited by tour groups, and is widely acknowledged to be very run down and needing a renovation. With the exception of a few renovated themed suites, the majority of the hotel is very 80's decor. For some reason, Isrotel has decided to take this hotel under their wings as well (maybe they decided that there weren't enough Isrotels in Eilat...). All those hoping that Isrotel will bring a much needed renovation are to be dissapointed. Judging by the Isrotel brochure, there are no plans to renovate. Rates, judging by a random date in November, are quite high. The Hilton Queen of Sheba, which we consider to be the top hotel, wanted $245 a night. The Princess, which is considerably less nice, is asking $280 per night. The Crowne Plaza, which is about on par with the Princess, is asking $298 per night. Bottom Line: Isrotel is not drastically overcharging for this property, but some renovations, on the rooms at the very least, would greatly improve the hotel.

Nope, I don't Sea One anymore

We agree, Sea One is a stupid name for a hotel. And, what would that even be in Hebrew? Yam Echad? Luckily, the naming team at Isrotel has come up with a different name. The luxury Tel Aviv hotel will be known as the Royal Beach Tel Aviv. Yes, the hotel will be a part of the Exclusive Collection, along with the other Royal Beach. Royal Beach Tel Aviv will have 23 floors, with 241 rooms and suites. The hotel is designed by the well know German designer Harald Klein, who has done several hotels in Germany, including the Sofitel Berlin's suites.

Interestingly, the hotel's rooms are divided into several groupings.
Three of the floors are designated for business levels. On the eighteenth floor will be the two story business lounge, boasting "showers, toilets (including handicap-toilet), TV room, 2 meeting rooms, bar, service area that includes newspapers, journals and office services, in addition to a quiet work area and dining areas." It's slightly curious as to why a hotel business lounge would include showers... Isn't that what a hotel room is for?

Two floors of the hotel are designated as the VIP levels, with a presidential suite and four additional suites on each level.
The Wellness Guestrooms, on two levels above and below the Spa, "allow such guests interested in the Spa services to stay by its facilities, and to walk around with their white Spa bathrobes, and use the Spa services without having to ‘mingle’ with other hotel guests." Seriously? We never knew mingling was so terrible.

As the only hotel being designed after the creation of Isrotel Exclusive Collection, we can't help but wonder- is this the design for all future hotels? Different, exclusive floors for different guests? Wonder where they'd put normal people like us...

West Tel Aviv

This new hotel, from the Tamares Group (Daniel hotels and Shizen Spa) was completely under the radar until today. The hotel is located on the so called "exclusive" Tzuk Beach in north Tel Aviv. All of the sixty- five rooms are one bedroom suites "of the highest quality", with two flat screen TV's, kitchenettes, private balconies, and warm wood tones. One of the nicest features of the hotel is the modern fitness hall, which looks very unlike the typical Israeli gym. The hotel also offers an outdoor pool and dairy restaurant, as well as complimentary bikes.
IsraelGuest is seeing a rise in the suite-hotel trend, with the Island Suites in Netanya, the Ramada in Netanya, Costa in Ashdod, and now the West. The West, however, seems like the only boutique hotel, with just 65 rooms. The rooms seem much more compact than those at the Ramada and the Island, though. The rest of the building (and the adjacent building) is probably apartments. Rates seem on the higher side, ranging from $300 to over $600 a night in high season.
With a location just outside Tel Aviv, and close but not in Herzliya Pituach, it's unclear which city the hotel competes with more. Either way, watch out Kfar Maccabiah!

Ramada Netanya

The Ramada Netanya is now open. It seems to have been open for a few weeks already, truly fulfilling the "Summer 2012" deadline. The hotel's architect renditions looked really beautiful. Unfortunately, the actual photos seem consistent with an average Israeli hotel (couldn't they at least make the beds before the photo shoot?). To truly appreciate the discrepancy, check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9PW6IUWjK0 and compare with the Ramada's website: ramadanetanya.com. A one bedroom suite is available next week for $228 - $332, midweek. There is a minimum stay of three nights required. Kudos to the Ramada for fair prices!
Credit also goes to Ramada hotels for featuring this hotel on their main website, (unlike Howard Johnson and Best Western... see below!). And here's a first: The hotel advertises "a full American breakfast", as opposed to Israeli- style breakfasts. There are no reviews yet, but we hope to check out the hotel ourselves soon.

Herods Jerusalem

Well, it seems like just yesterday that we were hoping for a Herods Jerusalem. And it seems like our prayers were answered. The 14 floor, 350 room Herods Jerusalem will be built right next to another Fattal hotel, the Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem. One of the focal points of the hotel will be the Vitalis Spa, which is expected to be one of the largest spas in Israel, located on the top 5 floors of the hotel. Also planned are a rooftop swimming pool and a large conference center. The hotel's construction is estimated to cost around $120 million.

Design of the "six star" hotel centers around a Jerusalem theme, "with the city's smells, with the city's clothing and with the city's atmosphere, but not so much a religious hotel." The city's smells? Forget exclusive perfumes that elegant hotels use to perfume their lobbies- Herods will be perfumed with sweat, urine, and Morrocan cooking odors!

Interestingly, Yoav Igra, who is the joint owner and architect of the Herods Eilat, noted that this will not be a religious hotel. This is likely as not to compete with the Leonardo, which is known for a highly religious crowd.

Also, it seems like the Herods chain are going for a city theme- Tel Aviv like Old Tel Aviv, Jerusalem like Jerusalem, Eilat like Eilat (more or less). This is a really cute idea, that will distinguish the brand from other luxury brands.

The only problem is the Igra will be the architect of the Jerusalem hotel as well. Hopefully, the municipality will prevent him from building a monstrosity like the Eilat hotel.